The Buffalo Bills rewarded the strong play of wide receiver Khalil Shakir with a four-year, $53.1 million contract extension in late February. It kicked off a busy offseason stretch for general manager Brandon Beane. His roster moves included changes to the wide receiver room, led by the departure of Amari Cooper and the arrival of Joshua Palmer.
So, how do all of those factors impact the dynasty outlook of the Bills’ de facto No. 1 receiver?
Khalil Shakir Dynasty Outlook (2025 Fantasy Football)
Bills Star’s Current Production
Shakir has steadily increased his production across three NFL seasons. The 2022 fifth-round pick caught just 10 passes as a rookie. He increased that number to 39 in his second season and, following the exits of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, he saw another bounce to a team-high 76 receptions in 2024.
He’s been undervalued in fantasy circles throughout his rise, too. Here’s a look at his average draft position and final ranking among wide receivers over the past three years, per FantasyPros:
- 2022: WR 221 ADP, WR 130 final ranking
- 2023: WR 116 ADP, WR 61 final ranking
- 2024: WR 50 ADP, WR 37 final ranking
Although the gap between his expected value and true value has begun to close, Shakir is still providing far more bang for the buck than most NFL wideouts.
Khalil Shakir pic.twitter.com/XKK6SRwbD6
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) March 23, 2025
The 25-year-old Boise State product’s consistency is also valuable. He reached double-digit PPR fantasy points in 11 of his 15 appearances last season. He also finished below five points just twice. Minimizing those complete-bust outings is incredibly important in fantasy.
In addition, Shakir is MVP quarterback Josh Allen’s favorite target in key situations. That was on full display in last season’s playoffs, which saw him make 18 catches across three postseason games.
Khalil Shakir Dynasty Price
Shakir is currently ranked as the No. 41 wide receiver and the No. 89 overall player in dynasty leagues, according to the ranking website KeepTradeCut. His overall value, on a 1-9999 scale, stands at 4862. All of those numbers suggest he’s still undervalued heading into the 2025 campaign.
Khalil Shakir Dynasty Outlook After Contact Extension
Let’s state the obvious first: Shakir is not in the same realm as the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Ja’Marr Chase or Minnesota Vikings‘ Justin Jefferson, who are the consensus top two receivers in dynasty leagues. He’s never going to reach that level of elite production on a year-to-year basis.
It’s that lack of high-end upside that allows him to remain underrated, though. Fantasy managers, especially in the dynasty format, often get obsessed with what a player might become rather than being attracted to terrific second- or third-tier values.
Compilation of amazing catches and YAC by newly extended #Bills WR Khalil Shakir 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LFLup7t3xr
— Circling The Wagons Podcast (@CTWpod) February 26, 2025
Shakir is 25 years old, remains contractually linked to perhaps the NFL’s best quarterback through at least 2029, still doesn’t have legitimate competition for the No. 1 receiver role in Buffalo, and he’s only missed one game because of injury in three seasons. (He was a healthy scratch twice early in his rookie season and sat out the final game last year with the Bills’ seed secured.)
Fantasy managers would be buying all the stock they could if those bullet points were listed on a blind résumé.
Furthermore, the switch from Amari Cooper to Joshua Palmer doesn’t change much schematically. It’ll allow Keon Coleman to play the Z role more regularly, which is where he found success in college, but it shouldn’t impact Shakir’s target share.
What To Do With Bills Wide Receiver in Dynasty Leagues
Shakir is a great trade target between now and the start of the 2025 season. His numbers have continually trended in the right direction. There’s no reason to believe that’ll change after the team handed him a lucrative, long-term extension.
Touchdowns are the one thing that’s held him back from a fantasy perspective. Even there, however, he’s made progress. He caught one as a rookie, two in 2023 and four in 2024. The California native’s value will skyrocket if he can push that number closer to eight in 2025.
Even if he never becomes a bona fide top-10 fantasy receiver, he’s a consistent, highly reliable No. 2 or No. 3 wideout for the long haul. Those are the types of building blocks necessary to build a yearly championship contender.
Khalil Shakir at $15M AAV is a STEAL‼️
2nd in YAC (704)
2nd in Missed Tackles Forced (24)
4th BEST Catch Rate (78.3%)
5th BEST Drop % (2.1%)
12th in Rating When Targeted (110.7)
14th in Yards Per Route Run (2.20)Only 25 🔥#BillsMafia | #NFL pic.twitter.com/jiQISS7HKS
— Buffalo Sports Talk (@BUFSportsTalk) February 25, 2025
Shakir doesn’t have the size of Coleman. He doesn’t have the strength of Dalton Kincaid nor the speed of Curtis Samuel. He also isn’t an amazing route-runner against man coverage like Palmer. Yet, on an offense with all those other options, he’s a heavy favorite to lead the group in targets and receptions.
Ultimately, if you can get Allen’s favorite playmaking weapon for dimes on the dollar, you should do it.
Main Photo: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images
